In the past few years, knowledge sharing has moved to the center of global development as a third pillar complementing financial and technical assistance. Agenda 2030 calls for enhancing “knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms,” while the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development encourages knowledge sharing in sectors contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

Globally, around 68.5 million people have fled their homes from conflict or persecution either as refugees, internally displaced persons, or asylum seekers. Contrary to what some may think, most of the displaced people don’t live in camps. In fact, it’s estimated that about 60%–80% of the world’s forcibly displaced population lives in urban areas.

The “urban story” of forced displacement is often compounded by its hidden nature. Compared to those displaced in camps, it is more difficult to track the living conditions of those displaced in urban areas, obtain precise numbers, and many are not recipients of humanitarian assistance.

For example, a Cairo-based startup called “Swvl” is disrupting commuting in the In the Middle East and North Africa region by mapping out commuters’ travel directions and enabling app-based, affordable bus rides that can compete with on-demand ride-hailing.

This is a question that cities around the world are trying to answer, as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development advances disability-inclusive development – and makes a strong case for more sector-specific programming that is inclusive of persons with disabilities and leaves no one behind.

New York City is leading by example to ensure that the voices of persons with disabilities are represented.

World Bank Group Senior Director for Gender, Caren Grown (@CarenGrown), and Director for Social Development, Maninder Gill (@ManinderSGill), discuss with Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez (@Ede_WBG), Senior Director for Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience, a new Good Practice Note created to help World Bank staff and partners identify gender-based violence risks – particularly sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment – in projects with major civil works contracts. This note helps project teams to assess the risks of gender-based violence, address these risks through mitigation and monitoring, and respond to any identified gender-based violence incidents.
This adds to other World Bank resources, including the Violence Against Women And Girls Resource Guide which offers guidance for development projects along with strategies for policies and legislation.

At one point, it was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. From 1990 to 1993, more than 6,000 people were murdered annually. Drive-by shootings were regular and indiscriminate, stemming from warfare between gang lords, drug criminals, and para-military groups. The need for change was urgent and led to radical urban experimentation.

The city’s political and business leaders recognized that Medellín’s security issues could not be dealt with through policy measures alone. They initiated a series of radical programs to reshape the social fabric of the city’s neighborhoods and to mobilize the poor.

City planners began addressing the problem of endemic violence and inequity through the design of public spaces, transit infrastructure and urban interventions into marginalized neighborhoods. Key to their approach was a commitment to making the public realm a truly shared space, and a faith that they could transform Medellín’s public spaces from sites of segregation and warfare into spaces where communities would come together.

As one of the most urbanized African countries and the largest economy in Southern Africa, South Africa is a popular and important destination for migrants and refugees from all over Africa, and increasingly, from parts of Asia.

To realize these collective efforts, better measurement tools are vital to follow up with evidence-based approaches. On July 11th, 2018, UN-HABITAT and ISOCARP held a side event during the High-Level Political Forum at the UN, titled “Quantifying the Commons.” While speakers from various organizations including the World Bank presented their works, three key questions were raised regarding our future steps:

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The Sustainable Cities blog is a space for urban development professionals to exchange ideas and engage some of the central questions of sustainable cities: What makes a sustainable city? How do we measure a city's sustainability? More ...

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